Worked quite hard in the off-season, says Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh must have felt an enormous sense of satisfaction and relief on Sunday. After all, he registered his first three-figure score since December 2012.

Mind you, Yuvraj is no stranger to comebacks. The guy has fought cancer. Need we say more? Yes, your physical fitness matters; but what’s more important is the mental aspect of your game. Yuvraj seems to be sorted on both fronts.

“Very good. It is always amazing to get a hundred. It’s the first game of my season and everything fell in place. I had worked quite hard in the off season and I was looking good, I was confident. I’ve been working on my batting and skills in the last couple of weeks. I just wanted to take some time at the start and attack when I needed to,” Yuvraj told reporters.

“It’s always a pleasure to get a century. It’s taken a lot of time, but you also have to see where I’m coming from. I haven’t played much of cricket over the last four-five months,” he added.

Sunday’s knock will play an important role in Yuvraj’s comeback. His mental make-up is also likely to get a boost. “I’m too passionate about my game. In the IPL, I had a back injury and I was struggling. Things didn’t go my way. I just wanted to work hard on my fitness. I worked hard when I came back from cancer and it took a while for my body to get 100 per cent fit. The doctors said it would take me about a year to get fully fit. My body’s improved a lot.

“I was focused on training. I was focused on overcoming my weaknesses. I wanted to improve my lung capacity and monitor my diet. In the off-season, Zak (Zaheer Khan) and I trained with Tim Exeter in France. Ashish Kaushik, who works at the NCA, also played a big part,” he said.

Talking about the six-week fitness rehabilitation stint in France, Yuvraj said, “I shed a few kilos. I wasn’t that heavy when I went there, but I just wanted to make sure I’d be sharp on the field. I worked on running between the wickets. I’m definitely feeling a lot stronger and quicker on the ground. I just worked on those aspects and I’m feeling much better,” he stated.

It is quite clear that the century on Sunday means a lot to him. For someone to have come back to this level of fitness itself is a big thing. But to have scored a ton is surely special. With two more one-day games and a T20 to come, Yuvi is hungry for more.